Public investment would exceed budget deficit in 2016, says Treasury head
Public investment since 2006 to date is the journey of bringing down the budget deficit step by step to the current level of 5.8 per cent. Within the next three years the public investment would exceed the budget deficit, according to Treasury Secretary Dr. P.B Jayasundara.
Speaking at the CA Sri Lanka post-budget seminar in Colombo this week, he said the current fiscal deficit is expected to be reduced to 5.2 per cent, 4.5 per cent and 3.8 per cent in the years 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively. By 2016 the deficit will only explain the public investment and capital expenditure. There will be a revenue surplus and as well as a primary revenue surplus.
Explaining why 2016 is very crucial, he said, “The 10-year development frame work presented by the government in 2006 comes to an end by 2016 taking the country to a middle income country status with US$4,000 per capita income. By 2016 the country should not only be statistically strong but also economically strong as a middle income country. Middle income countries are not run with large deficits. They are run with a comfortable macro framework. By 2016 Sri Lanka’s economy will have a fiscal deficit of 3.8 per cent or less than 4 per cent,” he said.
Sri Lanka doesn’t run a revenue deficit anymore with the country’s revenue being greater than the recurrent expenditure. The Government’s entire recurrent expenditure to a share of GDP has also fallen. In the 1980’s the country had a revenue GDP ratio of 20 per cent. The recurrent expenditure GDP ratio was 24 per cent. Today the revenue GDP ratio is 13 per cent and recurrent expenditure GDP ratio is 13.5-14 per cent, noted Dr. Jayasundara.
He also mentioned that in the 2014 budget, revenue, expenditure, and finance are put together. The tax structure put in place since 2010 uncompromisingly remained the same. The tax rates were made simple, clarity was improved so that the base gets widened. “Tax reforms help to generate revenue immediately because the theory says low tax brings revenue. Companies have to build up the habits and must learn to live in a tax culture,” stressed Dr. Jayasundara.
The country has identified areas in which consolidation is required. Consolidation in the real economy, trade economy and service economy have been paid not by getting into ideological debate on import substitution (export promotion) but to get into a true business model of doing what is viable in Sri Lanka with the least amount of support other than infrastructure predictable policy environment, skilled labour and positioning Sri Lanka itself in a competitive environment, he added.
CA Sri Lanka President, Sujeewa Rajapaksa making the welcome address, said, “The 2014 Budget is considered people-friendly. All segments of people have been recognized including the stakeholders in the budget.” Agriculture, poultry, farming, animal husbandry sectors have also been considered in preparing the budget, he added.